Archive for September, 2012

Incorrect application of pesticides is hazardous – gulfnews.com

Incorrect application of pesticides is hazardous
gulfnews.com
Dubai: Pesticides need to be applied by properly trained licensed professionals and incorrect application could pose numerous hazards, according to pest control experts. Improper application of pesticides has been an issue of concern and those in the …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 05, 2012

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Help: My Vegas hotel is on a bedbug registry – USA TODAY


USA TODAY

Help: My Vegas hotel is on a bedbug registry
USA TODAY
But after writing about the resurgence of bedbugs since strong pesticides were banned and having friends and acquaintances deal with tossing mattresses and shelling out big bucks to rid themselves of pests they apparently carried home in their luggage …
Bedbugs an increasing concern at DNC hotelsWashington Times
Democratic National Convention Hotels May Have BedbugsThe Inquisitr
Bloodsucking parasites infest Democratic National ConventionDaily Caller

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 05, 2012

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Why mosquite bites itch – KPRC Houston (blog)

Why mosquite bites itch
KPRC Houston (blog)
This kills beneficial insects and mosquito predators and causes air and water pollution. 6.?Mosquito Dunks? that contain natural bacteria that kills mosquitoes can be added to water gardens without harming fish, birds or other wildlife. (Closely …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 05, 2012

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‘Food centers swarmed by insects’ – Arab Times Kuwait English Daily

'Food centers swarmed by insects'
Arab Times Kuwait English Daily
Sources revealed the ministry has forwarded a letter to the Municipality after receiving information that some centers are dirty and swarming with insects like ants and cockroaches, as well as mice. Sources said the ministry has emphasized the need for …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 05, 2012

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‘Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation’: avoiding insect invasions – Purdue Exponent

'Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation': avoiding insect invasions
Purdue Exponent
Although this scenario isn't a common occurrence, Tim Freels says he has found himself in the occasional ?unnerving? situation. Purdue turns to its pest and rodent control technician for its occasional insect infestations. Freels said insects are not …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 05, 2012

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Sep 5, 2012 – Restaurant Provides The Food

QUESTION:

Any suggestion on German roaches in a restaurant? I treat with Suspend and an IGR and bait with Maxforce Roach bait. Not sure if restaurant employees are feeding roaches and that is why the roaches aren’t eating the bait. Any suggestions like dust and flowable powders? The bait dries up in Las Vegas weather after a week.

ANSWER:

You may have hinted at one big problem here and that is sanitation. Since you did not mention this aspect of roach control I am thinking that perhaps it has not been emphasized to this customer. As a wise person stated it many years ago, “pesticides cannot overcome bad sanitation”, so not only will filthy conditions in a restaurant offer the needed food for roaches, insecticides applied onto dirty and greasy surfaces don’t stand much chance of doing their jobs either. Active ingredients will quickly be tied up by organic matter, and grease and filth are organic enough to do this and to make those materials unavailable to the roaches that wander over or sit on those surfaces. 

So, let’s start at the beginning again and suggest that on your next visit you perform a VERY thorough Sanitation Inspection. This needs to encompass the entire restaurant including dining areas, storage rooms, and of course the kitchen area. You should use a Written form on which you write down every unacceptable condition you find so that you can present it to the management of this restaurant. This includes greasy or food stained floors and walls, particularly under and behind equipment where cleaning is probably never done. It needs to include all equipment, such as stoves, refrigerators, drink dispensers, dishwashers, etc. Look for any accumulation of food that should be removed. Check the grease traps for appropriate service and cleaning. 
Keep in mind that every unsanitary condition you point out for this customer could save them a problem with the local Health Department should they get inspected. Dirt and food buildup breed bacteria and bacteria make people sick, and if this occurred it would put that restaurant on the pages of the local newspaper in a very negative light. You are there to HELP this customer and working with them to correct any conditions that encourage the roaches to be there are a benefit to them. Univar ES sells many different products for sanitation, including a wide range of materials from Rockwell Labs that can be applied to walls and floors to remove grease and other buildup, into drains to feed on the gunk that lives and grows there, into grease traps to eat the grease, and onto equipment where food and grease buildup in crevices that are hard to clean. Sanitation is a HUGE part of cockroach management, so this must be addressed. 
There is nothing wrong with Suspend or the IGR or Maxforce bait products. If you put any of these in contact with the roach for a long enough period of time the roach is going to die, or in the case of the IGR the roach will become sterilized. The question is WHERE are you applying the residual product? If you are treating exposed surfaces such as baseboards, floors, walls, etc., then you are wasting your effort. The roach spends very, very little time on any of those surfaces, but does spend 80% of its life tucked back into crevices and voids. These are the places you need to apply your materials so that the roach spends 15 hours or more of the day resting on that active ingredient. 
Dusting within dry wall voids and equipment voids is very effective, and an inorganic product like silica gel or diatomaceous earth will last for a very long time. Flowable powder refers to Avert dry bait, and yes this can also be applied into voids but not in combination with other contact insecticides that might affect the palatability of the bait. Try a variety of other gel baits, as some of them are touted to last much longer with respect to their moisture and softness, and it just pays in general to offer insects a variety of food baits to see which ones they like. 
Be liberal with a use of insect glue traps, placed in many locations so you can monitor to see where hot spots may exist. But, emphasize sanitation and work with the customer to make the effort. Emphasize exclusion, and rather than spraying into a crevice on every visit just fill that crevice in permanently with some appropriate caulking. This permanently removes a harborage point and reduces the carrying capacity of the environment there. 

View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.

Pest QuestionsSeptember 05, 2012

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Tomato hornworms and other late summer

Sometimes it?s easy to get discouraged about the garden: Early in the spring there are seeds that don?t germinate well in cold, wet soil. Then the weeds germinate too well and try to take over the garden when things warm up. Next Colorado …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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Catch caterpillar infestations early to control hungry pests

It?s late in the growing season. Most plants have flowered and set seeds while many have grown big and hungry. For caterpillars, the last growth stage is the most damaging stage of the life cycle, just before pupating and transforming …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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New disposal program offered for old pesticides – Cape Gazette

New disposal program offered for old pesticides
Cape Gazette
The Delaware Department of Agriculture is launching a new initiative, the Environmental Sweep Program, to help farmers, commercial pesticide applicators, nurseries, greenhouses, golf courses and pest–control companies with unwanted, outdated or …

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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USDA warns campers about dangers of hitchhiking forest pests – Examiner.com

USDA warns campers about dangers of hitchhiking forest pests
Examiner.com
With Labor Day weekend almost upon us the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a warning today to campers, RVers and tailgaters about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers. Of course, these aren't your regular two legged variety but …
Don't Let the Weekend Getaway Include an Uninvited PestRedOrbit

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Pests in the NewsSeptember 04, 2012

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